


the most profound sciatica

by Icarus (Slickarus)



Series: Do They Think We Want This? [6]
Category: Spring Awakening - Sheik/Sater
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Theater Kids, They go to an all-boys boarding school, also melchior is a major creep, but when is he not lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-29 07:21:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11435937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slickarus/pseuds/Icarus
Summary: What happens when Otto is cast in an all-boys production of Measure for Measure





	the most profound sciatica

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this originally for my random pairing series, but it got long and I liked it enough to post it on its own. The title is from the play that they're doing, which is Measure for Measure (Shakespeare). I cast everyone that I mentioned, so hmu if you really want to know who they're playing.

_ “Isabella?” _ Otto’s shout could be heard all the way down to the art wing. “Seriously? I’m captain of the sailing team, a  _ starter _ on varsity soccer, and he casts me as a girl?”

“Otto, chill. It’s a great part.”

“Yeah? Well why don’t you do it, huh?” Georg adjusted his glasses.

“I didn’t audition; you know that. I’m going to run sound, or whatever I get put on.”

“This is ridiculous,” Otto muttered. “Just because I’m short.”

“Cheer up,” Georg said, pointing to the cast list and snickering. “You get to spend more time with Hansi.”

“Just what I’ve always wanted,” he deadpanned. “To get cast as Hansi Rilow’s  _ sister.” _

* * *

Otto almost showed up late to the readthrough because he was feeling rebellious, but not rebellious enough to actually show up late. But just his luck, that meant the only two seats left in the circle of chairs on the stage were next to Mr. Sonnenstitch, the director (where Otto definitely did not want to sit), or in between Melchior and Hanschen, the biggest rivals in the theater department.  _ And also the two hottest guys in the play,  _ Otto thought unhelpfully. He bit the bullet and sat down between them. Their tension stretched across his seat like spiderwebs and made his stomach seize. Hanschen didn’t greet him when he sat down, only stared intently at his script. Melchior, however, turned and smirked at Otto, and something about it gave Otto the same sensation as having wet socks.

“So you’re playing Isabella?” Otto nodded and hoped his knuckles didn’t turn white with how hard he was gripping his script. “I guess we’re going to make quite a pair onstage.”

“Are you stupid, Gabor?” Otto heard from his left, where Hanschen hadn’t even looked up. “Angelo tries to rape Isabella. It’s not cute, it’s creepy.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Melchior said, turning pink. “And I  _ know _ what happens in the play. I’m just saying I get a lot of stagetime with him.”

“As do I, the only difference being that people won’t want to leave the theatre,” Otto could feel the ‘re’ when Hanschen said it, “when I’m onstage. I can’t say the same thing about your performance.”

“I haven’t even-” Otto thanked every god he could think of when Mr. Sonnenstitch finally called everyone to order to begin the readthrough.

When they were finished, Otto started to put his chair away, but a hand grabbed his shoulder.  _ Hanschen’s _ hand.

“Relax,” he said, amused at Otto’s very not relaxed state. “I just wanted to tell you how glad I am that you say ‘doth’ correctly. You seem to be the only one in this damn play who does.”

“Yeah, well,” Otto said, but he didn’t know how to finish his phrase. Hanschen just laughed and put his chair away.

* * *

 

Over winter break, as Otto visited family and studied his lines, he was becoming more excited about his role. Yeah, he was playing a girl, but so were several other guys (and almost everyone was playing a nun at some point). And Georg was right, it was a pretty great role. He was actually so excited to come back to school and start rehearsing that he was going over lines in the airport while waiting for his flight back to school.

“Otto?” Hanschen looked different when he wasn’t in his dress code. His entire appearance was much more laid-back, even his hair seemed more relaxed.

“Hey.” Otto did the polite thing and moved his backpack off of the seat next to him so Hanschen could sit down.  _ Okay, Lammermeier, you can do this. _ “I didn’t know you lived nearby.”

“I don’t; I’ve got a connecting flight.”

“Oh.” Otto knew he only had a few seconds of conversational hangtime before Hanschen moved on to a book or put on headphones or something, so he took the leap. “I was just running lines, do you want to do it together?”

After thirty minutes or so of running lines (and Otto remembering most of his,  _ thank you very much _ ), they boarded the plane. Otto got to board before Hanschen, and he assumed that would be the end of their interaction until tomorrow, but Hanschen decided to sit in the empty seat next to him on the plane. They didn’t talk, but just existed together in silence for one hour and twelve minutes as they flew back.

They stood next to each other at the baggage claim making small talk and, miraculously, Hanschen continued to stand next to Otto even after his own suitcase had come around the carousel. Otto felt like he must be hanging out with some alternate-universe Hanschen who made dumb jokes and had holes in his jeans, and he wanted the moment to last forever. Sadly, they had to get onto the bus back to school, and Otto finally sat alone in the dark.

* * *

Between classes and studying and workouts, rehearsal became a surprise calm time in Otto’s life. However, they were only calm because of the way he only had to focus on the show - all other distractions fled from his mind. In reality, rehearsals themselves were anything but calm. Besides Sonnenstitch pushing them harder than most coaches Otto had ever known, there was the drama that came along with any school production. Unfortunately, despite the fact that this was an all-boys school, there was an incredible amount of relationship drama. Ben was dating Ernst, who rejected Robert when he asked him to the dance (apparently Robert ‘didn’t know’ they were dating), so Robert hooked up with Max, which made Bobby jealous instead, and he managed to forget all of his lines in rehearsal, which only confused Moritz more. It was a clusterfuck. At least Otto wasn’t in that scene.

Unluckily for him, one of the scenes he  _ was _ in involved only one other person: Melchior. The scene itself was fine, possibly his favorite in the whole play. That is, it would be, if he didn’t have to spend forty-five minutes of rehearsal having Melchior aggressively proposition him. Sure, it was acting, but the way Melchior’s eyes looked, cold and hungry, made him just as uncomfortable as his character counterpart. Whatever initial attraction Otto had held for Melchior had completely dissolved and left a bad taste in his mouth. He tried to remind himself that it wasn’t real, but it didn’t do much to ease the heavy fear he felt.

* * *

It was tech week when Hanschen walked in on Otto in the large props room with his arms wrapped around his knees during their intermission. Of  _ course _ Hanschen would walk in. Hanschen had been nothing but nice to Otto, if at times a little distant, during these last two months. Sometimes they’d even eat dinner together before rehearsal to run lines. But if there was anyone Otto didn’t want to see right now, it was probably him. Or, you know-

“Are you okay?” No judgement in his voice, Hanschen sat down next to him on the couch, which creaked under his weight. 

“Yeah,” he croaked out. 

“You’re shaking.”

“It’s nothing.”

“You can tell me what’s wrong. I’m not going to laugh, or whatever you’re afraid of.” Otto kept staring at the concrete floor. He felt ridiculous enough already in this wig (although his wig looked better than Max’s, bless his heart.)

“He kissed me,” Otto mumbled.

“What?”

“He kissed me-”

“I heard what you said. Who kissed you?” Otto sighed.

“Melchior. We were running our scene, you know, and there’s the part where he pushes me up against the wall, and tonight he just - it’s stupid. Lots of guys would kill to kiss him.”

“He’s never done it before?”

“No, but Sonnenstitch loved it. They’re keeping it in. And it’s not like I have a problem with kissing guys, it’s just-”

“You weren’t expecting it. It felt too real?” Otto nodded. “I’m going to kill that bastard.”

“Don’t. I can take care of myself. It’s really not a big deal.”

“Clearly it is.”

“Why do you care so much?” Otto looked at Hanschen’s eyes, and saw his anger reflected back in Hanschen’s fear. His hurt. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

“Don’t be.” Hanschen relaxed further on the couch. “I care because he hurt you, Otto. I care about you, you know.”

“Why?”

“God, don’t make me- you just - ugh,” Hanschen ran his fingers through his hair trying to find the words. “You treat me like an actual goddamn human being, not a fucking robot like everyone else. You make jokes around me and you ask me about my day and I would be lying if I said I didn’t look forward to seeing you at rehearsal.” Now they were both staring at the floor.

“I care about you too, you know.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. And not just because you’re hot - I mean - fuck - forget I said that. I used to have, like, some crush on you, but I didn’t know you very well at all. I kinda thought you were - like you said - but now it’s like, you know, you’re my friend.” He smiled at Hanschen. “No one’s ever offered to stand up to me before.”

“You had a crush on me?” Otto rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, sure, focus on that.”

“No, I think it’s cute.”

“Yeah.  _ Cute.” _

“I guess the question is, do you still?” Otto felt his cheeks get hot and hoped that his stage makeup covered up any blush he might have.

“So what if I do?”

“Well, if you do, then that means I get to kiss you,” Hanschen said as he sat up. “Because you’re not the only guy in here with a crush.”

“In that case,” Otto’s heart was racing, and he could barely get enough breath to say “yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> Also Robert is from the play and so is Max, and Ben comes from a fic I started a while ago (not posted) but essentially he's Wendla just...a guy. I needed more guys.
> 
> If you like this pairing, [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11340960) is another Hanschen/Otto fic by yours truly. If you liked the story (or honestly if you didn't) please leave feedback in the form of comments, kudos, or hitting me up on my social platforms:  
> [tumblr](https://thereinkiss.tumblr.com/) [twitter](https://twitter.com/slickarus)


End file.
